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Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Making Headlines VBT

Blurb:

Working
as a TV reporter has its challenges, but when Rachael Bentley decides to aim
high and become a newsreader, she faces a whole new minefield of explosive
scenarios.

Rachel's
path sees her pitched against egos in the newsroom, office politics and corrupt
politicians, not to mention rampant sexism, and a mystery stalker. Juggling a
messy personal life doesn't help, nor does the emotional impact of reporting on
life's tragedies and when it all takes a toll and Rachel starts partying too
hard, she finds herself making the headlines instead of reading them.

Will she
survive a world where dreams are shattered daily and will she find the man who
can help her keep her soul?

Excerpt:

‘Then
whack! He slams that cricket bat smack down on your desk, missing your hand by
a whisker!’ Julia slapped her hands under Rachel’s chin.

Rachel
jumped, vibrations ringing in her ears. ‘And this is the man you think could be
our new boss?’ she said, spinning her chair around to switch on her computer.
As she reached for a notebook a growing unease began to fester. Her fellow
reporter had an uncanny knack of being spot-on with rumours.

‘Yep,’
grinned Julia, leaning back in her chair. ‘That’s Helmut Becker for you. Bit of
a nut job, but they say he gets results. And it is all about the ratings after
all.’

Beyond
their desks the usual pandemonium reigned. Early-morning rush hour — TV
monitors blaring, phones ringing and people shouting, and Rachel didn’t want
the glue that held it together leaving. She stared towards the news director’s
office. ‘I wish I could change Tony’s mind.’ It was like the plates beneath her
feet were shifting. Too much change, too soon.

‘Fat
chance. The media release is already out. And stop looking like that. Anyone’d
think you had a boss-crush.’

Rachel
turned back to Julia. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just sad he’s leaving. I mean,
he gave me my big break and has always been so supportive. Are you sure this
Helmut character is taking over?’

‘That’s
the word on the office grapevine. It’s a hundred per cent gossip guaranteed.’

‘Damn.
Just when I thought I had a career plan mapped out, a bat-wielding crazy guy
comes along …’ She paused as a striking man with shoulder-length dirty-blond
hair strode past their desks towards the edit suites at the back of the
newsroom.

‘And
don’t get hooked on him either.’ Julia rolled her eyes. ‘That’s the new head
editor, Mitch. Really rates himself, and hates working with juniors, so steer
clear.’

‘You
crack me up,’ said Rachel, shaking her head. ‘You know I’m taken.’ She turned
back to her computer, inhaling deeply. The editor had left a scent in his wake
and it wasn’t aftershave. It was like he’d just shaken the surf from his hair
after riding a wave into work. An absurd thought. Who’d go surfing in the
middle of autumn? She snuck another look as he walked away, taking in his strong
physique. As if feeling her eyes graze the back of his neck, he turned, giving
a lopsided grin as he caught her out.

Embarrassed,
she smiled back stupidly and sucked in her breath. Damn, he was good looking.
She wondered what he was doing at work so early. Surely as head editor he could
take his pick of the shifts and leave the early stints for the juniors? She
shook her head. She had to stop this. No flirting. That’s what had landed her
in enough trouble already.

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD – Or not?

Writing a book is a bit like a
pregnancy. Often you think about it for quite a while before you get on with
it.

Then there’s the long gestation
period, the hard work you put in trying to make it the best it can be, and
finally, the long-awaited arrival of your carefully nurtured baby. With the
actual birth, there can be debate about the best way for this to happen. A
c-section or a natural birth? An epidural or go natural?

Likewise with publishing, there
are also plenty of options. However, it’s becoming more difficult to have a
book produced in hard copy – REAL PAPER – with
publishers unwilling to take risks on untested authors.

With the eBook business booming,
it would seem more and more established publishing houses are moving with the
times and looking to the internet for success. Whether you like the book or
not, E.L. James Fifty Shades of Grey made it’s incredible leap to
the top of global best-seller lists – selling more than 125 million copies
worldwide – starting off life as an eBook.

Of course authors have choices.
If you can’t find a publisher, you can always opt to self-publish – whether it
be hard-copy or online. For myself, while I’d love a hard-copy version of
my own book MAKING HEADLINES – to have and to hold –
it seems for the moment, I’m going to be marching forth into the world as a new
author – waving the PLATFORM PILGRIM flag.

(Thanks to my ever-encouraging
writer friend Lisa Bigelow for coming up with that innovative tagline!)

Yes, thanks to Harper
Collins Publishing, I am about to become a Platform Pilgrim. My
eBook will be launched this Thursday, February 4. And that’s because I
would much prefer my book be given the tick of approval from a recognised
publisher that has a wonderful heritage as Australia’s oldest and one of the
most respected companies in the business, than do this on my own.

Sure, in the long run I’d love
nothing more than to have a REAL book in my hands – but for the moment, I still
consider my eBook to be an achievement of which to be proud.

My biggest dilemma with becoming
a Platform Pilgrim was deciding whether to host a book launch or
not. Would people think it was over-the-top and silly – given they couldn’t
leave with a signed copy of the tome itself?

In the end, after much debate
with Fletch (mu husband) and friends, I have decided to go ahead and have a
party. After all, it’s the end of a VERY long and arduous road and I think I
deserve to celebrate my baby’s birth.

Harper Collins have also
kindly agreed to provide ‘Book Samplers’ on the night of the launch, so guests
WILL leave with a couple of chapters in a small printed mini-book, as a taste
of what’s to come in the novel. So yes, there will be REAL PAPER given out on
the night.

It’s taken many years AND tears
to finish MAKING HEADLINES and I am so delighted and relieved
that it is finally making its way into the world. All up, it’s more than eight
years since I started thinking about this project. Now that’s one helluva long
pregnancy.

JENNIFER
HANSEN is best known to TV audiences as the former co-host of Channel Ten’s 5pm
news. These days Jennifer works in radio as part of Smooth FM’s breakfast show
where she reads the news and chats with Mike Perso about all things Melbourne.
In between media gigs, Jennifer went back to ‘school’ - taking up the
‘Professional Writing and Editing’ course at RMIT. That has helped her complete
her first novel and two screenplays. Occasionally she remembers to look after
her family - including husband Neighbours actor Alan Fletcher (aka Dr Karl
Kennedy) and their two children, Veronica and Tom.